Episode:Flora and Fauna
Flora and Fauna is the 838th episode of The Bill Despite facing opposition from his colleagues, PC Reg Hollis seeks help from a Stafford Row officer on putting together a station garden for the MET Garden Competition. Taking it up to Chief Inspector Derek Conway, he is tasked to clean up the litter first – but Reg being Reg takes that as a yes and starts to put plans in order, including visiting a nursery on shift time and tries to talk the owner into giving them some things for free. Investigating an abandoned Porsche, PC Gary McCann and PC Mike Jarvis visit nearby garages to see if anyone had been trying to get rid of the parts, including ‘Marley’s’ where the manager, who is known to the police, assures them that everything is above board. PC Tony Stamp and Reg stop an Andy Franklin in the nursery car park, Tony questioning him about his stereo, something that looks out of place on his rather old car. They follow him to Sun Hill and note the registration of his car stereo and look under the bonnet, finding more than a few discrepancies with how it should be. Informed that it’s an offence to alter a vehicles VIN, Franklin explains that it was a straight engine swap and that the details swap over – as told to him by a mechanic after the previous one blew up. Talking to Mike about Franklin’s car and what he’d been told by Peter Salt, the mechanic, Reg wonders if the engine is the one from the missing Porsche. Visiting Salt, they hear a contradicting story to Franklin’s and is cagy about the details. Looking at another engine they see that he has filed the VIN number off and arrest him, taking him down to the station. On the way to a stabbing, CID find themselves fenced in by the delivery of Reg’s plants. Unable to stop and wait, Jim drives out of the yard, completely smashing one of the pots, covering the yard in mud. Bringing in their prisoner, Reg is gutted to see the mess and implores Mike and Gary to be careful with the plants as they are expensive. Annoyed at the mess and Reg jumping ahead, Conway orders him to take everything back to the shop, putting the garden on hold. Interviewing Salt, Reg and Tony discover how the scam works. Insurance company declare the car a write off, the men buy the car at auction, put everything back in that they stole and then sell the car through trade to unsuspecting customers. Digging a little further Reg discovers that Mike’s suggestion was correct, it is Marley who stole the parts of the Porsche. Despite telling Tony that he had got the things for the garden free, Reg returns them to the shop and gets a refund, stuck paying for the things that were damaged. Tony overhears and pretends to blackmail him to keep his silence, bemusing Reg. On getting no rise from his joke, Tony calls Reg to come with him so they can go and arrest Marley. Alex Walkinshaw, who plays Andy Franklin, would later join the cast as P. C. Dale Smith. Flora and Fauna Flora and Fauna